Zombie
by Harriet123
Summary: What initially seems like a routine home invasion may be be part something much bigger. But how can the BAU catch an unSub who they can't seem to profile? Weird title but it'll make sense in time. Rated M for physical and sexual assault.
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything that didn't come from my own imagination._

_**A/N:** Exams at the moment so updating will probably be pretty slow for the next two weeks. Wasn't planning on posting this till I had more chapters written but need so motivation tbh. Anywho hope you enjoy and reviews are much appreciated, even the bad ones if they're constructive. Sorry that this is so short, I promise the chapters themselves will be longer._

_**Prologue**_

_'Who can hope to be safe? who sufficiently cautious? Guard himself as he may, every moment's an ambush'-Horace_

J.J slammed the door behind her, throwing her keys on the phone table as she passed. It had been a long day and a hard case that she didn't want to revisit again. She needed a stiff drink and a long sleep. She hoped they might have some time off tomorrow but she doubted it, she was the one who decided the cases and she knew there would be a fresh pile of files on her desk by morning to add to the towering piles already stacked all over her office.

She paused in pouring herself a large glass of wine and glanced around her, her hand going to her holster. The house was silent except for the ticking of the clock as the hour hand slipped closer to two. The streets were empty, both doors were locked and garden was surrounded by a six foot wall and a heavy metal gate which was permanently padlocked. Her mind was simply playing tricks again; she still wasn't used to living alone. As she swallowed her glass of wine in one she tried to figure out when she next had vacation time and if there was any way to move it closer. She needed to see Henry soon, she hadn't seen him enough before, now that he lived in a separate house, in a different state, it was torture. She poured and downed a second glass before heading upstairs.

The streets were silent and empty so no-one noticed the unmarked black sedan parked slightly up the road from J.J's house. No-one witnessed the expression of annoyance that flashed over it's inhabitant's face when the master bedroom's curtains closed or how it changed to a smirk when the sliver of light visible between the curtains went out. No-one noticed that after a tense twenty minutes the sedan drove off carefully and no-one realised it's departure was prompted by the four brief torch flashes the came from the master bedroom window.


	2. Chapter 1

_**A/N: So first chapter; again a bit short but I just find it easier to write short chapters in general, sorry about that. Also there's some sensitive topics in this story and I'll deal with them as realistically and sensitively as I can but I'm sorry if I get some things wrong, I don't mean to offend anyone.**_

_**Had this chapter written already, just needed to do some editing (although it's still missing something) so next updates may not be as fast. Got some days off near the end of the week so will try and write then.**_

**_Must go and cram for Irish now, bye and hope you like it. Remember even if you don't, I want to know. As long as criticism is constructive it's welcome. _**

_**Chapter One**_

'Has anyone seen J.J?' Hotch asked. The team shook their heads, no-one looking up from their paperwork. They had a million and one reports and testimonies to write up and file after yesterday's disaster. If things had gone much worse Strauss would be calling for Hotch's head on a plate. 'Well does anyone know why she could be late? There's no answer form her cell or home phone. I have to go over her with the media reaction so I can include it in my final report.' More head shaking.

'I could go to her house,' volunteered Reid. 'I've finished my preliminary paperwork and my reports already filed.' Morgan smirked into his coffee and Prentiss hid a smile behind her hand; of course the speed reading genius had enough work done to drive out to J.J's.

Hotch gave a curt nod. 'Don't take too long. We don't have time to waste, especially if we get called in on another case.'

'Hello?' Reid called ringing the doorbell for the third time. 'J.J?' The house was eerily silent. Reid would have thought it was empty if it weren't for JJ's car parked in the driveway. Shading his eyes with his hand he tried to catch a glimpse inside through her window but the Venetian blinds were tightly shut. J.J wasn't the most organised person in the world but it wasn't like her to be late. Worry began to set in. Stepping back from the window he noticed the gate; it was slightly ajar, its padlock hanging loose. He pushed it open, hand edging towards his holster. The back door swung open to his touch. Drawing his gun he crept through the kitchen. He checked the living room before taking the stairs two at a time as quietly as possible. The guest room and what was formerly Henry's room were both empty. Spencer felt a pang of sadness as he looked at the empty crib and the few lone forgotten toys strewn on the floor. It was clear that in the last month J.J hadn't touched the room, probably hadn't even gone near it.

He paused when he reached the master bedroom. He could hear something, a whimpering. Ready for the worst he burst through the door, gun at the ready. He couldn't see anyone, it seemed empty. Then he noticed the small shivering ball in the corner.

'J.J?' No response. 'J.J!' she didn't seem to hear him, even as the alarm crept into his voice. He ran forward and crouched beside her. She began to struggle and scream as he placed his hand on her shoulder. She raised her hands to her face, trying to protect herself 'J.J, J.J! It's me Reid, Spencer.' Her face was wild as she struggled against the grip he now had on her wrists, stopping her from lashing out. Slowly recognition flooded her eyes. She collapsed against, still shaking with sobs.

'J.J, what happened? Who did this?' she didn't seem to be able to reply, just shake with sobs. She squirmed as Reid tried to pull her from him to examine her. He winced as he took in the pattern of red and purple bruising which curved its way up the side of her face, topped with a large gash. Her hair was matted with blood and a black eye was blooming. He allowed her to fall into his arms once more, hesitantly rubbing her back as he rang an ambulance. It wasn't until he had hung up that he noticed the rip in her skirt and the scratches which marked her thigh. Bile rose in his throat as he gripped her tighter.


	3. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Sorry this is later than promised but I've spent quite a lot of time in the last few days on twitter and emailing CBS executives. If you don't know why it's because of this .com/2010/06/cbs-criminal-minds-trims-cast/. I am, like most fans, completely shocked and appalled CBS would do something like this. If you'd like to join in and try prevent this please sign the petition, ., send CBS a complaint, .com/info/user_services/fb_global_, and visit this site for more info on what fans are doing to try get CBS's attention, .com/. Also if you search the hashtag #SaveTheCMLadies on twitter you'll probably find some more information. Anyway, back to the fic.**_

_**This chapter has a pretty violent scene. I'm sorry, I didn't plan to write about the details of the attack at all but this chapter didn't work any other way. It's not exactly graphic but if you don't want to read it just skip past all the italics. This chapter was more about J.J than expected. I planned to put more case information into it but the other side of this fic took over so I guess the case will have to wait. I had some writer's block earlier but it seems to have passed now so next chapter should be up soon enough. Hope you like it and as always, even if you hate it, reviews are appreciated.**_

**_Chapter 2_**

_She flicked on the light, picking her discarded pyjamas up from the floor. She moved to unbutton her shirt when she realised she had left the curtains open. She was always doing that. She threw the pyjamas on the bed as she walked towards the window. The light went out just after the curtains met. She sighed; the spare light bulbs were downstairs. Then she felt his hands on her waist._

_He turned her round, planting a kiss on her unwilling mouth. For a few seconds she was motionless, unsure what to do. Then adrenaline took hold._

_She bit down on his lip. Hard. She tasted blood on her tongue and then he pulled back yelling. Before she could think of her next action she felt his hand slamming into the side of her head. She cried out in pain. Then she was falling. No she was thrown. Onto the floor? No the bed. She tried to think but her mind was a mass of pain and confusion. Then his hands went to her shirt and she understood._

_She kicked out, connecting with something. She couldn't tell what in the dark. She was rewarded with a grunt of pain and another blow to the face. Her head was swimming but she couldn't give up. This couldn't happen. She swung her hand through the air, managing to rake her nails down the side of his face. He bellowed, not with pain but with anger and frustration. He clearly didn't like her fighting back. He didn't slap her this time, he punched her. Her head spun. Her right eye smarted. Her strength was dwindling as she struggled to stay conscious. She didn't know if she could fight much more. It didn't matter though._

_He had given up on her blouse. He was on top of her. He pinned her to the bed with his weight. Grabbed her wrists pulling her arms above her head, restraining her. She began to cry, begging him not to. He adjusted her arms so that he was constraining her wrists with one hand. The other moved down the length of her body, stopping on her thigh. She began to sob. 'Please, please…'_

'J.J, J.J!' There was a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently. The room slowly swam into focus. Emily was standing over her, concern evident in her face.

'Sorry bad dream.' She leant back into the pillows, not remembering sitting up. Emily removed her hand from her shoulder, still looking worried. 'Maybe you shouldn-'

J.J cut across her. 'Where's Reid?' Emily sighed knowing that J.J had purposely interrupted her.

'Gone home. Morgan forced him to leave. He'd been here for over forty hours. He needed rest.'

'Good' J.J mumbled. That's...that's good.' Her friend could tell she wasn't concentrating on what was being said.

'You know if you're not ready you don't have to go home today. The doctor did say if you needed more time to recover-'

'I'm not staying Emily. I'm ready to leave. I'm all bandaged up and the bruises are fading, I'm fine.' Prentiss's face softened. There was pity in her eyes. J.J looked away, she hated that look. It had been following her for three months now.

'It's not just your body, Jayje. You were attacked in your own home. You were…' she paused, no-one had used the word around her yet, 'assaulted. It's okay to need time.' J.J sighed, her friend meant well but she really could not take anymore pity. She forced a weak smile.

'Emily, I'm, fine, honestly. Well not fine but well enough to go home. I would tell you if I wasn't. I've spoken to a counsellor and I have another appointment with her for next week. I just want to get back on track, get back to normal. I know this will take a while but going home is the first step.' Being a Profiler Emily knew that J.J wasn't as 'fine' as she pretended but the certainty and honesty in her last sentence persuaded her to drop it. She really did want to go home. Prentiss knew she shouldn't try to stop her. Knew even if she did that she wouldn't be able.

'Okay. It's still early though, not even light yet, so you have hours before you actually leave. You should go back to sleep, you need plenty of rest. J.J nodded, rolling onto her side and closing her eyes. Prentiss sat back down in the chair beside the bed and waited until J.J's breathing slowed and deepened. She got up as quietly as possible, making sure not to scrape the chair along the floor. Then she crept out of the room, opening and closing the door as silently as she could.

J.J opened her eyes and sighed with relief. She had hoped Emily would give into her exhaustion and leave. There was no way she was letting herself sleep. She couldn't forget her attack, she knew that, but at least if she were awake she didn't have to relive it in such detail.

She picked up a magazine someone had left by her bed and started to read. She couldn't concentrate, didn't even know what she was reading. All the words seemed to jumble in her mind, none of it making sense. Her eyes began to droop. She threw the magazine aside and forced herself to sit up, wincing slightly. There was a clock on the wall. It read quarter past five, she was checking out around midday. She sat and watched the clock. Counting with the second hand. Counting until she was free.

J.J stepped through her front door and went to throw her keys on the phone table. Her hands stopped in midair. It was something she had always done, an unthought-of gesture. Now it carried meaning. Now it reminded her of that night. She pocketed them instead and dropped the small bag that Emily had brought in to the hospital for her on the floor.

She had wanted to come inside with JJ but she hadn't let her. She just said that she wanted some time alone. When she was given a sceptical look she said, 'Go meet the others and work on catching him.' She needn't explain who she meant. 'Don't tell me you're not working on this case unofficially.' Emily smiled in spite of the situation, she may not be a profiler but J.J could still read her friends perfectly. 'I'll drop by later. Ring me if you need anything.'

'Just go. I'm…' she stopped, she had said the word 'fine' too much in the last few days, 'I'm good. It will be better for everyone once we catch this guy.' Reassured by her conviction Prentiss left.

J.J had wanted to be alone. She didn't want to be asked how she was or feel the eyes of someone else on her, analysing her every movement, dissecting her every word. Now that she was alone however she didn't know what to do. She stood in the hallway of her home, hugging herself and not wanting to move. She knew there could be no-one there, she had heard him leave her house, and yet she could not move.

She saw such brutal things everyday, had most of her working life. She had seen dead bodies in the worst circumstances imaginable; mutilated, torn, destroyed. She had seen people lying lifeless, broken, no light behind there eyes. She had seen people survive and wish to be dead. She had witnessed some of the most horrific things possible but she had always had her home to come back to. Her refuge. It had been the one place where nothing could touch her.

Now that illusion was shattered. Her home was just another place where terrible things could take place. She didn't realise she was crying until she felt a tear slide down her face.


	4. Chapter 3

**_A/N: I know, I know, this is months late. It's just after it was confirmed A.J Cook was fired I couldn't go near anything to do with the show for ages. I know it's lame but I loved her character so much that it upset me to watch or write about the show. Once I got over that, well this was the back of my mind tbh. i did try writing this chapter before but it flopped and iIjust kept saying I'd do it later. Well I've finally done it. I'm sorry that, considering you've waited so long it's pretty..well crap but I'm hoping the next one will be better. I've started college now so updates could be slow but I promise I'm not giving up on this, it's too awesome a story to go untold (unlike my last fic :P). As usual reviews and criticism are appreciated_**

_**Chapter 3**_

'So you chose a random victim who just happened to be an FBI agent who wasn't home at the time?' asked the agent with the black hair, aggression creeping into his voice. Bill stared ahead, trying to keep his face blank. 'Answer me!' The agent slammed his fist on the table and he flinched despite himself. He mumbled something and wiped sweat form his forehead. 'What was that Jackson? I didn't quite hear you.' Jackson examined his hands trying to ignore the two agents in front of him. This wasn't meant to happen. He had been told that he wouldn't have to deal with the police let alone the FBI.

The tanned agent bent down, sticking his face close to his, forcing him to look up into his brown eyes. 'Listen, _Bill_,we've got enough evidence to put you away as it is. We don't you to speak. Of course if in the very unlikely event that you somehow aren't our guy then you may want to start talking.' Bill looked back to his hands. He wasn't going to get away with it this time, he knew that but if he told them the full story he might get a shorter sentence. On the other hand there was a chance he wouldn't live through that sentence if _he_ found out.

Reid watched the interrogation from the outside. The guy was hiding something, that much was obvious and yet what it was he had no idea. Ever since Garcia had given them the name Bill Jackson something had seemed off. All the evidence pointed to him, stripping and burning the bed sheets, breaking in and waiting for J.J, attacking her from behind and his DNA was found under her fingernails. And yet, at the same time none of it made sense. He had been charged with the rape before but there had been some problem with paperwork and he had been allowed walk free. Bile rose in Reid's throat. Walk free because of something so stupid. _Professional, stay professional._ He had done everything almost exactly the same, picked the lock, broken in, lay in wait for his victim and then burnt the sheets and ran. There was on crucial difference though, the other woman hadn't been a stranger she had been an ex girlfriend, the attack had been about revenge. He was textbook anger rapist. Attacking a stranger made no sense. His patterns may have changed if he devolved but watching him now that seemed unlikely. There was something else that seemed off. He seemed to be surprised at getting caught. Sure no-one wanted to get caught but considering he had been tried for rape before surprise didn't make sense.

'Alright, alright!' Reid was torn from his thoughts by Jackson's exclamation. 'She wasn't just a random victim. But I didn't know her either. I was hired to do it.

'Hired?' Rossi was disbelieving and yet Jackson's body language and choice of words all said he was telling the truth. He glanced at Hotch, he looked just a confused.

'I know it sounds weird but it's the truth. He hired me and told me that if I did this he'd keep me from having to deal with the cops.'

'Who?'

'I dunno his real name. I was just told to call him Zombie.'


End file.
